Hospicio Cabañas

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Tue - Sun 10am - 6pm

Hospicio Cabañas

This 19th-century complex, originally built as a hospital for the disadvantaged, is host to an impressive display of modern art, most notably a series of frescoes by famous Mexican muralist Jose Clemente Orozco. The collection includes one of his most well-known murals, El Hombre de Fuego, which earned its building the nickname “the Sistine Chapel of the Americas.” A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hospicio Cabañas is a perfect example of Guadalajara’s ability to embrace its history and its future, combining 1790s architecture, 1930s murals, and, finally, a space for rotating exhibitions of contemporary art.

Having functioned as an orphanage, an insane asylum, and a military barracks in the past, Hospicio Cabañas also has a spooky side. There are several ghost stories about the space, including a legend about a clock that stopped whenever a child died in the orphanage.

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Ogle Orozco's Murals

José Clemente Orozco was one of the founders of Mexican muralism and one of his most famous frescos, "El Hombre de Fuego" ("Man of Fire"), is on display here. The piece is painted in the cupola of the building formerly known as Hospicio Cabañas; because of the grandeur of the work, it is often referred to as the Sistine Chapel of the Americas. The building is also a World Heritage Site. Seeing the dramatic, massive work is all the more impressive when you consider that Orozco painted the piece with just one hand; he lost his left hand during a childhood accident.

Hospicio Cabañas

The Hospicio Cabañas was built early in the 19th century to cater to orphans, handicapped and old people. The buildings mostly form a low complex, with many connected inside and outside spaces. The only tall structure, the chapel with its vaulted ceilings, houses the incredible murals of José Clemente Orozco. Not surprisingly, the Hospicio Cabaña has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997. It's a place to marvel at architecture, and use of space. The ground level structures combine courtyards and interior spaces seamlessly. I loved just walking around and discovering all of it. The Hospicio is reflective of its own history, but also makes ample room for cutting edge contemporary art. It would definitely be one of the first places I'd return to, on a future visit to Guadalajara. $ 70 General admission $ 20 Students and teachers with current credential Tuesday free admission >>>Muchas gracias to the hardworking teams at Guadalajara Tourism and PHG Consulting for a fun filled 4 days in Guadalajara, Mexico. @gotoguadalajara #visitguadalajara

Guadalajara: Early Morning Streets

Absolutely sleep-deprived from a red-eye flight to Guadalajara, Mexico, we somehow managed to make fake our Spanish and make our way to the city center by bus, two buses to be exact. The sun had yet to rise over the horizon. The streets were eerily empty, the shops not yet open, and only the sounds of birds and street cleaners to welcome to us at 7am. Without the calm and the lack of people this photo wouldn't have been possible. The haze of the sunrise gave the most mysterious glow around Guadalajara's Hospicio Cabañas building (UNESCO Heritage Site). It was just perfect timing, thanks to that terrible red-eye flight.